One of Midi-Pyrénées "Great Regional Sites", the famous Gavarnie Cirque is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Described by the writer Victor Hugo as the "colossus of nature", this remarkable natural heritage is only accessible on foot, by horse or by donkey from the village of Gavarnie. An hour's walk along a lovely footpath takes you to the hotel area at the foot of the cirque and its fantastic view over the entire vast rocky amphitheatre. The panoramic view of the high limestone walls covered in countless waterfalls is really stunning! Hiking fans can continue up to the foot of the Grande Cascade, a striking 423-metre high waterfall that is one of the highest in Europe!

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Gavarnie Cirque

The Cirque de Gavarnie is located in the South-West of France, in the department of Hautes-Pyrenees Midi-Pyrenees, on the northern slope of the ridge line marking the border with Spain. The village of Gavarnie, the highest village of the department, housing less than 150 inhabitants, is located slightly downstream of the junction between the bottom of Gavarnie, where Gave the same name flows, and the Valley of Pouey Aspé, which flows the Gave of Tourette in the upper part of the valley of Gavarnie. Lourdes is located about fifty kilometers north as the crow flies. The circus is dug in the Pyrenees.